14 



localities ; and there are at present good grounds for pre- 

 suming that at least ten of the most important species of 

 Northern India will be ultimately established in this 

 country. 



The Rajendra MuUick, a native gentleman, resident at 

 Calcutta, who is the possessor of a very fine Zoological 

 Collection there, has entered into cordial correspondence 

 with the Society on this occasion ; and the united conti'i- 

 butions of the Governor- General and himself are now 

 on their way to this country on board one of the first- 

 class Indiaraen belonging to Mr. Green of Blackwall, to 

 whom the Society are indebted for the cordial manner in 

 which he at once agreed to cooperate with the Council in 

 giving facilities for the accommodation of the bii'ds during 

 the difficult operation of their transport by sea. 



As the ship sailed from Calcutta on tlie 7th of March, 

 it is expected that the collection will arrive in London 

 some time in the beginning of July, when the Council trust 

 that the arrangements which have been made for the safe 

 conduct of the Birds, and the extreme liberality of Lord 

 Canning, will be rewarded by an encouraging measure of 

 success. 



The gracious interest which Her Majesty has taken in 

 this attempt to carry out one of the original objects of the 

 Society, on the largest scale, has been accompanied by the 

 gift of three living specimens of the Honduras Turkey, 

 one of the rarest and certainly the most beautiful of the 

 American Gallinaceae, and by a pair of the magnificent 

 Mantchourian Cranes from Northern China. 



The Honduras Turkey has long been among the 

 most earnestly coveted desiderata of European Collections; 

 but there has never until the present occasion been any 

 favourable opportunity for establishing the species here. 

 One of the female birds unfortunately died in the month 

 of February last, but a pair still remain and have passed 

 the winter in a state of gradual impi'ovement. These rare 

 and valuable birds were obtained for Her Majesty by Mrs. 

 Stevenson, the lady of the Lieut.-Governor of Honduras, 

 and were most skilfully managed dui'ing their voyage to 

 England by Mr. Skinner, the well-known botanist, and 

 Capt. Wilson of the R.M.S. Service, to whose care they 

 were specially entrusted. 



The Californian Quail is perhaps the most beautiful 

 of the interesting little group to which it belongs, as well 



